Type-writing machine.



A. 'I'. BROWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APrLIoATIoN FILED Nov. 11. 1907.

" Patented June 2, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNEEEEE.

/Y L M N H j. T y An .WE H wm?,

A. T. BRWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 11, 1907.

1,098,707, Patented rune 2,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HIEATTUFQNEY A. T. BROWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 11, 1907.

Patented June 2, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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AWM HIEATTUFQNEY WITNESEEE.

A. T. BROWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 11, 1907.

Patented June 2, 1914..`

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNEEEEE:

litt

TYPE-"tlv MACHNE.

necication or Lettera Patent.

ipatented dans d, irait,

application filed November 11, i907. Serial No, df'e.

To all whom it may concern: v

Ede it known that l, hermanita "l. Bnovvn, citizen ot the United States, and resident ot Syracuse, in the county oi @nondaga and titate ot New "fork, have invented certain new and useiul improvements in 'l`ypeldriting Machines, oi2v which the tollovving is a specification.

lil/ly invention relates to ribbon mechanisin tor typewriting machines and has tor its niain object to provide improved devices ot the class specied.

rlo this and other ends the invention con sists in the features of construction, coin binations of devices and arrangements ot' parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

@ne torre of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereinlt'igure lV is a vertical iront 'to rear sectional View taken about centrally oi a iront strike typewriting machine to which my invention is shown as applied, parts'ol the machine being omitted. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the machine, the secr tion 'being taken on a vertical plane at the rear oithe keyboard and parts oi the inachine being ornitted. Fig. 3 is a side sec- 'tional view showing the vibratory ribbon carrier, its guide, the guide support and other parts, the vievv being drawn to a larger scale than Figs. l and 2. Fig. fi is a rear elevation showing the vibratory lribbon carrier, its guide, the guide support and other parts drawn to the saine scale as Fig,

lgt 5 is a slreletonized side view ot the vibratory ribbon carrier, its ofuide, actuatingn devices and other associated parts. ltlig. G is a iront elevation oit the vibratory ribbon carrier, its guide, the guide shitting mechanism and other parts including the guide support which is shown in section.

lteterring rst to litige. i and 2, the rnain trarne ot the machine is shown as cornpriof ing' a base l, corner posts 2 and a top plate B. ltey levers i are liulcrunied in the rear ot the base, each key lever being` connected by a link 5 with a lever' 6 pivoted on a hanger 6ft. The hangers support-,ingr the levers t are suitably secured at the iront of an upright support 7. Each lever 6 is connected by a link 8 with a type bar 9 pivoted to a hanger l0 which is secured to a type bar support "ll suitably mounted in the frame ot the machine. he type bars/are provided at their tree ends with one or more types,

two types beinp,l shown in the present instance. Said type bars are normally supported on a type rest l2 and are adapted when actuated to cooperate with the iront face of a rotary platen 13, the axle l-t vvhereoiE is supported in a carriage l5, said carriage being` adapted to move back and forth across the top plate on roller bearings 16 which bearings also cooperate with fixed track ways ll'. rlhe carriage is connected by a band or strap 18 with a spring drum 19 and its movements in printing direction are controlled by suitable escapernen't devices (not shown), said devices being operated trein a universal har 20 underlying the key levers dand supported at its ends by links 2l depending trein arms 22 extending rearwardly trom a roelr` shaft 23 journaled in bearing blocks @et secured to the 'iront corner posts 2.

It ribbon 25 is wound upon spools 26 hori- Zontally arranged above the top plate one at each side oit the machine and forward olf the platen. Each spool is carried by an uprightV shaft 27 to the lower end olb which is tired a small beveled gear 28, the beveled gears being alternately turned to 'wind the .ribbon on one spool troni the other and vice versa. rlhe ribbon Winding,n mechanism may be ot any suitable construction, that shown comprising beveled driving pinions 29, one tor each gear Q8, said pinions being lined on a shalt 30 which may be moved to and tro endwise manually or by any suitable means to bring' the plnions 29 into engage nient alternately with their associate gears 28. rl`he shaft 30 is adapted to be turned from the spring drum 19 duringl the inovernents or the latter in one direction and the connections for this purpose between said shaft and said spring drum include a beveled pinion 3l slidably connected with the shaft and a beveled pinion 39, meshing with the pinion 3l. 'lhe pinion 32 lined i to the lower end ot a rearwardly and upwardly inclined shaft 33 which is operatively connected by a universal joint 34twith the usual ratchet wheel 35 which is adapted to be t'farned by the spring drinn 19 as the latter draws the carriage in printing direction.

Such ot the mechanism hereinbetore de scribed as is original with ine is not claimed in the present case but forms the subjectmatter ot other applications tiled by ine.

Referring now to the novel parts ot my lll@ invention these include a vibratory ribbon carrier or guide which in the present instance, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, comprises a head or plate-like member 36 formed at its upper portion with a type opening 37. rlhe upper and lower edges ot' the type opening are diagonal and parallel and below the lower edge is formed a slot 3S, the edges of which are parallel with the lower edge or' the type opening. The thickness of the metal between the slot 38 and Jdie type opening forms a turning bar or device, designated as 39. Above the type opening is a turning bar or device 40 parallel with the turning bar 39 and above the turning bar 40 and at the ends thereoi2 are grooves 41 formed by the oppositely extending projections or guards 42. The head 36 is arranged just in front of the platen being normally below the printing point thereon and about midway between the ribbon spools 2G. These ribbon spools, as best shown in Fig. l, are somewhat nearer the front of the machine than the vibratory ribbon carrier. The ribbon is led off the right-hand spool at the front thereof and passes through a stationary guide 43 xed to the top plate, thence being led through the grooves 4l over the front of the turning bar after which it takes a turn downward behind the head 3G crossing the type opening 87 and passing over the lower turning bar 39, thence forward through the slot 38 where said ribbon again takes a turn upward and leftward, passing through a stationaryY guide 43 fixed to the top plate and thence winding on the left-hand ribbon spool 2G at the front thereof. The turning bars or devices are disposed or inclined approximately at angles of 450 to the vertical, so that the portion of the ribbon between said turning bars that bridges the type opening, which portion may be called the printing portion of the ribbon, is substantially vertical while the portions of the ribbon connecting this printing portion with the two spools are at angles to said printing portion. rl`he arrangement is such that the printing portion of the ribbon is arranged crosswise or substantially at right angles to the general direction ci the ribbon between the spools as well as to the direction in which the ribbon winds on one spool and oli the other spool, to the lines of print on the platen and to the platen axis.

Suitably secured to the head 3G as by rivels 44 is a rod 45, haid rod being in the nature of a stein and the stein 45 andhead 3G constituting the vibrator-y ribbon carrier or vibrator. 'i`he rod 45 after curving rearwardly i'roni the lower end of the head 8G, extends vertically downward and is provided at its lower end with a head 46. rl`he rod passes through and has a sliding conv nectifai with a lng` xl7 extending rearwardly from a guide or support 4S for the vibratory ribbon carrier. This guide or support. is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. It is arranged at the rear of the type bar segment or support l1 and extends vertically upward in front of the rod 45 but behind the head 36 of the ribbon carrier, said head being adapted to move up and down over the front face of said guide and being guided in these movements by short inwardly extending lingers 49 at the top of the guide, said lingers providing grooves with which the sides of the head 36 coperate. Between the fingers 49 and for some distance below them the guide 48 is cut away as indicated at 50 and from the lower end of the cut-away extends downward a slot 51 through which the rod 45 passes rearward from the back of the head 36. rlhe guide 48 is adapted to be swung from side to side' to permit different parts of the printing portion of the ribbon to be brought into co operation with the printing instrumentalities or type bars and to this end the guide is pivoted at its lower end portion on the enlargement 52 of a rod 53, said rod extending between and being iXed-in the supports 7 and ll. The guide 48 is formed with anl opening which bears on the enlargement 52 and said guide at the parts surrounding said opening is pressed against the rear of the support l1 by a wire spring 54 which is coiled around the enlargement and is confined between the back of the guide 48 and the bottom of a cup-like housing 55. This housing may be adjusted relatively to the back of the guide in order to regulate the pressure of the spring 54 which serves as a friction spring to assist in maintaining the guide 4S in either of the positions to which it may be swung or adjusted. Any suitable means for adjusting the housing 55 and regulating the pressure of the spring may be used. In the present instance I have shown. the rear end portion 53Lx of the rod 53 as reduced and threaded to receive an adjusting nut 56 which contacts with the housing 55 and may be turned toward or away from the back of the guide 48 so as to increase or decrease the pressure er tension of the spring 54.

The vibratory ribbon carrier maybe moved upward at printing operation to cause the printing portion of the ribbon to cover the printing point by any suitable means, that shown in the drawing comprising a pin or lug 57 extending laterally from the rod 45 and connected with the upper end portion of a link 58, said link pivoting on the lug 57 and projecting rearwardly from the lug and then extending vertically downward, being pivolally connected at its lower end with the rear arln of an'operating lever 5). The operating lever is ulclunied at (l0 to a bearing block el, the latter comprising two parts moar/or -whieh together completely surround or einslot portion extends brace the rod 53 and are fastened together by screws (lf2, the, construction being such that the sectional bearing block is thereby clamped or tixedly secured to the rod 53. rillhe forward arin of the operating` lever is provided with a slot composed of a straight end portion 63, a portion G4 disposed at an angle to the portion (18 and an enlarged end portion 65. Normally engaging with the straight portion G3 of the slot is a headed pin ('56 projecting,1 laterally from the rear end of an arin G7, which arm is fixed to the rock shaft 23 near its iniddle and projects rearward from said rock shaft.

1lvlfhen a key lever -elis depressed it depresses the universal bar 2O and rocks the rock shaft Q3, causing,- the arm G7 to swing down `vard and the pin titi to press down the forward arm of the lever 5 and elevate the rear arm thereof. rlhe rear arm in turn as it nieves upward, elevates the vibratory ribbon carrier, saidy carrier sliding on the guide 48, which remains stationary during' `the vibratory movements of the carrier. Plaid carrier during its movements to and from the printing point cooperates `with the guide or .support Li8 at three points or places, namely, at the bearing opening in the lug` l? and at the grooves formed by the fingers llt). lnring the movement of the ribbon carrier fron'i normal position (Fig. l) to printing position (Fig. the pin (3G will engage with the lower wall of the slot portion G3, which substantially radially of the fulcruin G of the operating lever. ln disasseniblinp,m the parts, the operating; lever 39 may be disconnected from the arm 67 by movingn the pin titi down in the slot portion teluntil said pin is in the enlarged slot portion through which the head Aof said pin may be withdra'a'n. tlf course the depression of the universal bar Q0 by the operated key lever causes the escapeinent devices to cooperate and also operates certain of the printing` instrnmentalities, causing the type bar which is connected with the operated ley lever to be moved from normal position to printing` position. Uniting the vibratory movements of the ribbon carrier the `guards ll2 prevent the ribbon from being1 displaced from the upper turning bar l,ll-O. Assuming; that the guide 48 is positioned as shown in Fig'. 2 the upward movement of the ribbon carrier inst described will nlove the printing portion of the ribbon upward and bringthe right-hand half of said printing portion opposite the printing point on the platen, which point is des ignated in lfigs. Q and by the reference character of. rlhe length of the printing portion of the ribbon, and by length l mean the stretch between the adjacent edges of the two turningl barsl 39 and t() is suchthat the types on the operating type bar will not Contact either with the turning bars or with that portion of the ribbon overlying the upper turning bar. Une advantage of thisconstruction is that if a nar 'ovv ribbon be employed in a machine having a shifting platen there is no necessity of shift-infr,r the ribbon carrier when the platen is shifted in order to maintain the printing portion of the ribbon in an uiV farying relation With the platen in either of the positions to which said platen may be shifted. rlhe type block when in printing position extends lengthwise of the ribbon at the printing' portion thereof instead of widthwise thereof as is usual, so that the `various expediente which have to be resorted to when a narrow ribbon is employed, in order to conline the type inipressions to a desired portion of the ribbon are unnecessary. 'lhe printingn operation having` been completed the operated lrey lever may be released and the parts Will then return to normal position by the aid of the usual or suitable restoringl springs. ln the present instance l have not shown any restoring spring directly connected with the ribbon carrier but have found in practice that gravity is snliieient for this purpose in addition to the spring restoring nieans of the escapeinent devices.

Frein what has been said it will be appar-- ont that with the parts i normal position as shown in Fig. 2 only one-half the width of the ribbon will be brought into contact with the printing1 instiaimentalities during the to-and-fro longitudinal feeding' move lett ments of the ribbon. l provide means for ,shifting the guide i8 sidewise, or in a direction substantially lengthwise of the platen and the lines of print, and usingn also the other half of the ribbon, said means being operative at will to nialre use of either half of the ribbon. llhis means, to be presently described in detail, may be, of course, advantageously employed with a ribbon having' uniform characteristics .throughout and when used with such a ribbon will aid in uniformly exhausting` the inl; thereof, enabling more service to be obtained from the ribbon than could be obtained it' the printing were done in only one line or path lengthwise of said ribbon. rlhe. means, however, is of especial advantage in connection with a ribbon having' a plurality of fields of different clmizwteristics .such as the rib` hon shown in the drawings. 'this ribbon is divided into two longitudinal stripes or fields designated by the reference characters a and for purposes of description. lt may be assumed that the field a is red in color and the field l) black, although it will, of course, be understood that these field.l may diller in any other respect. lit will be seen from the drawings that with a twocolor ribbon of thisl character the printing;r portion of the ribbon will be vertically lli divided, the right-hand side or half being red and the left-hand side or half being black.

As has been stated, the guide 48 is pivotally mounted so thatit maybe shifted and set in a plurality of positions. The shifting means is designed to be conveniently actuated by the operator from the front of the machine and as shown comprises a link 68 pivotally connected with a lug 69 projecting rearward from the guide 48, said link extending horizontally leftward from said lug 69 and being pivotally connected at its lefthand end with an arm 70 extending from a rock shaft 71. The rock shaft has bearings in the supports 7 and 11 and extends forward toward the front of the machine, its front end portion bearing in a triangular plate 7 2 secured by screws '7 3 to the front of the left-hand front corner post 2. In front of the plate 72 a second arm 74 is fixed to the rock shaft 71, said arm 74 being provided at its outer end with a linger piece or handle 75. The construction is such that when thehandle 75 is moved up or down the rock shaft 71 is rocked and the link 68 is moved endwise, causing the guide 48 to swing from one side to the other on its support. The screws 7 3 may serve as stops to limit the movement of the arm 74, and the plate 7 2 is preferably provided opposite the handle 75 with markings or indices corresponding with the fields of the ribbon, these markings in the present instance being the colors red and black. As shown in Fig. 2 the arm 74 is in contact with the upper screw 7 3 and the handle 7 5 is opposite the red mark on the index plate 72 while the guide 48 is inclined slightly to the left so that when the ribbon carrier is vibrated the right-hand half or red color field of the printing portion of the ribbon will be brought opposite the printing point a: on the laten. When it is desired to make use 'of t e left-hand or black half of the printing portion of the ribbon the handle 75 is moved downward 'until the arm 74 contacts with the lower screw 7 3 as shown in F ig. 6. 0 A downward movement of the arm 74 rocks the shaft 71 and forces the link 68 longitudinally rightward, causing the guide 48 to be shifted or swung rightward on the rod 53 to the position indicated in Fig. 6. This shifts the printing portion of the ribbon lengthwise of the platen land'lines of print and brings the ield b of .the ribbon directly below the printing point on the platen so that thereafter when any printing key is actuated the ribbon will be elevated to bring the left-hand half of the printing portion of the ribbon opposite the printing point and the actuated type bars will coeperate with said left-hand or black half 'ot' the ribbon. Itv will be seen that il have provided a ribbon field changing mechanism comprising a shiftable guide on which a vibratory ribbon carrier is arranged to move; that the vibratory ribbon carrier is provided with a plurality-of oblique surfaces or turning bars around which the ribbon is looped; and that a movement of the carrier lengthwise of the lines of print or in the direction of the length of the ribbon between the ribbon spools or supporting devices moves the loop of ribbon, or that part comprising the printing portion of the ribbon without moving the main part of the lEibbon or slackening the tension of the rib- The guide 48 will be maintained set in either of its working positions by the aid of the friction device or spring 54 and this device may be assisted in its function by mounting the rock shaft 71 somewhat tightly in its bearings so that considerable friction is generated at said bearings and this friction, of course, will help to maintain the rock shaft 71, the link 68 and the guide 48 set as desired. rEhe actuating devices for the ribbon carrier will operate easily and freely in either of the set positions of the guide 48, the actuating link swinging laterally during the shifting movements at the point where said link is pivotally connected with the rear arm of the operating lever 59.

When it is desired to again make use of the field a the handle 75 may be moved upward until the arm 74 again contacts with the upper screw 7 3, thus reshifting the guide and restoring the parts to the positions shown in Fig. 2.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a liypewriting machine, a ribboncarrier having a reciprocating movement at each operation of a type key, and a guide on which the ribbon-carrier travels, the

guide being pivotally supported on a single fixed axis which extends lengthwise of the machine and on which the guide is angularly movable to change the direction of the path in which the carrier travels.

Q. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a vibratory ribbon carrier, of actuating devices therefor comprising two levers and a link, the levers having Xed fulcrums between which the levers are connected together by a pin-andslot connection, and the link being, connected to one of said levers and to the carrier.

3. In a typewriting machine, a ribbon car rier having a reciprocating movement at each operation of a type key, a pivoted guide on which the ribbon-carrier travels, and an adjustable frictioual device mounted on a Loewe? fixed support and acting` against one of the faces of the guide.

4. ln a typevvriting lnachine, the combination with a platen and printing1 instrumentalities, of a vibratory ribbon carrier, a guide for said carrier, a pivotal support for said guide, a frictional device comprising a friction spring surrounding said pivotal support, and means for varying the tension of the spring, said frictional device being` cooperative with said guide, and means for turning said guide on its support to vary its position.

5. ln a typevvriting machine, a ribbon carrier having a reciprocating movement at each operation of a type key, a laterally shiftable guide on Which the ribbon-carrier travels, a hand-actuated device at one side ot the machine, and a connection between said device and guide, the device being operative to shift the guide.

6. In a typewriting machine, a ribbon carrior having a reciprocating movement, at each operation of a type key, a laterally shitable guide on which the ribbon-carrier travels, a rock shaft extending rearwarollv from the front of the machine at one side thereof, a. connection between the rock shaft and guide, and a handle connected to the rock shaft at its front end.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 8th day of November A. D. 1907.

AL i XANDER T. BRUVVN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. SMITH, J. lB. DEEVES. 

